Celebrating with a Parade
Name a Jewish celebration, that is not a wedding, but includes a chuppah, music and dancing. The answer is a Hachnassat Sefer Torah, literally “Welcoming the Torah Scroll,” the ceremony…
It’s The Hebrew Alphabet
Aleph – Bet – Gimmel – Daled – Hey…it’s the Hebrew alphabet! According to the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has its own meaning…
The Blessings of the Amidah: God’s Holiness
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The third blessing is a declaration of God’s holiness. Ah’tah kadosh v’shim’cha kadosh, uk’doshim…
Passover: The Second Days 5768-2008
"Counting the Omer" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In parashat Emor, we learn of the mitzvah of counting the Omer. Leviticus 23:15-16 declares: "Oosfartem lachem mee'macharat…
Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Rabbi Aharon Kotler, whose 50th yahrtzeit is today, arrived in the United States in 1941. The Va'ad Hatzalah brought Rabbi Kotler out of Nazi controlled Europe, where he had been a highly…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Shalom
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The theme of the final blessing is peace. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is related to the Hebrew…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Accept Our Prayers
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The seventeenth blessing begins the final section of the Amidah, the section in which we express our…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Requests
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The sixteenth blessing is the final blessing in the section of the Amidah that focuses on requests. It…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Redemption of the Jewish People
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The fifteenth blessing continues to focus on the future redemption as it beseeches God to send the…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Rebuilding Jerusalem
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The fourteenth blessing begins a new focus on the time of redemption, beginning with the restoration…